There's nothing better than a steaming bowl of pasta to get you through the winter, especially when it's paired with a bolognese or ragu. Everyone has their own secret recipe, but some of the UK's best chefs have recently shared the secret ingredient they use to elevate it from an average dish to Michelin star level.

Fallow's Jack Croft recently shared how they make their ragu, explaining that there's one surprise ingredient they use, taking inspiration from two Michelin-starred chefs. In a recent TikTok video, Jack said: "There are endless ways to make a ragu, this is the chef way." Along with a sofritto, they use beef mince, pork belly and pancetta for a rich and intense meaty flavour.

To take the ragu to the next level, the Fallow chefs take inspiration from Marco Pierre White and Massimo Bottura, both of which add milk to their recipe.

The chef said: "The next step is arguably my favourite one of the day, and it is milk. We found it in two recipes: one from Massimo Bottura and one from Marco Pierre White.

"Now, Massimo Bottura adds it at the beginning. Legendary three-star Italian chef. So who am I to argue with his techniques? The milk is added at this stage to soften the meat fibres and help to tenderise the meat, so it's a tenderising technique.

"Now Marco's method is he actually adds milk at the end of the ragu, and it adds roundness and helps to bring the whole thing together. So we're going to incorporate both milk stages into our ultimate ragu."

The chefs' video has been viewed over 481,300 times, receiving 30,500 likes and 282 comments. Bakero said: "This is exactly how I made my ragu a couple of weeks back, right down to the parmesan rinds. Only difference is I used white wine instead of red."

B suggested: "Perfect - only leaving it to cool, refrigerated overnight and the gently reheat will improve this."

Zolamistrz admitted: "I was shocked that milk is added, but it's shockingly good and you barely feel it."

Another commented: "This looks good! Certainly some good tricks to try here! Would never have dreamed of adding milk, but this step makes sense! Thanks!"

Vash suggested: "To those who didn't know... You could also use a dark chocolate (at least 70% or more) to deepen the flavour and balance the acidity."

If you're in need of some tips on how to take your ragu or bolognese to the next level, this is how you can create Fallow's recipe at home.

Ingredients

• 1kg beef mince (50% shin, 50% chuck)


• 400g pork belly, diced


• 100g pancetta, diced


• 200g onion, finely diced


• 150g carrots, finely diced


• 150g celery, finely diced


• One to two garlic cloves, finely grated


• Extra virgin olive oil


• Neutral oil


• 80g tomato purée


• 400g passata


• 200ml red wine


• Whole milk (added in two stages)


• 500ml chicken or beef stock


• One Parmesan rind


• Two bay leaves


• Pinch of nutmeg


• Salt, to taste

To finish

• Cold butter


• Extra milk


• Gastrique: 100g balsamic vinegar + 50g sugar

Method

On low heat, add olive oil and pancetta to a heavy pot and slowly render the fat. Add onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt. Sweat gently until soft, pale and sweet, no colour.

Grate in the garlic for the final one to two minutes, then remove the soffrito and set aside.

Return the pot to high heat with a little neutral oil. Add the beef mince, breaking it up and cooking hot to drive off moisture.

Once dry, lower the heat slightly and caramelise the beef slowly until deeply browned, scraping the fond regularly.

Add the pork belly and gently warm through - no heavy browning. Stir in the tomato purée and cook until it darkens and caramelises.

Lower the heat and add the first portion of milk. Let it fully absorb into the meat.

Deglaze with red wine and reduce by about half, scraping the pan clean. Return the soffrito to the pot, then add passata, stock, Parmesan rind, bay leaves and a pinch of nutmeg.

Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook in a low oven at 120°C for four and a half hours, stirring occasionally.

While cooking, make a gastrique by boiling the vinegar and sugar briefly until lightly thickened. Once cooked, remove the bay leaves and Parmesan rind.

Finish with a splash of milk, cold butter for gloss, and the gastrique added gradually to balance acidity. Season to taste.